Black Fang
The Black Fang was an organisation lead by Weaver twins Louise and Lucien. The Black Fang seemed on the surface to be nothing more than a faction of mercenaries, but they were in fact much more than they themselves claim. They were known in the criminal underworld as the Syndicate. The connection between the two destroyed organizations, the Black Fang and the Syndicate, is now widely known. The Black Fang was completely obliterated in 4E 237 by Skyrim's combined military with assistance from the College of Winterhold. Known History The Black Fang were once considered nothing more than a faction of mercenaries, and they would do anything they could to ensure that others thought of them as such, although few actually fell for their supposed deception. Much to everyone's surprise, they eventually proved themselves to be much more than just mercenaries, when they managed to have the entire Black-Briar family (including the Jarl) assassinated. After the assassinations, they swiftly and silently moved in and forced Riften to bend its knee to the Black Fang, killing any military opposition that resisted. None of the other Jarls knew what had happened in the Rift, as for multiple weeks after the Black Fang occupation, no one had recieved any word from the Jarl of the Rift. That lasted until Jarl Etaret Witchbane of Eastmarch contacted the Jarl of the Rift, and received a letter from one of the Black Fang leaders in return. This is how the Black Fang became the official rulers of the Rift, and remained as such until their destruction a couple of decades later. Skills and Preferences Though the Black Fang consisted of all kinds of fighters, their warriors seemed to prefer battle styles based on skill and agility, rather than strength. There were relatively few strength-based warriors amongst the Black Fang. Similarly, even their mages and spellswords preferred to use skill and agility when fighting in close-quarters-combat. All Black Fang were required to know how to wield a melee weapon, usually a sword, relatively effectively. Overall, Black Fang soldiers were very versatile, and most of them were trained effectively in all kinds of combat. If a Black Fang was more focused on one type of combat than other types, they were usually masters of their preferred type of combat. It is extremely unwise to underestimate any Black Fang. All Black Fang wore black assassin-like armour that kept the identity of the wearer unknown. The armour came equipped with a masked cowl. The only difference between male and female Black Fang armour was that females had skirts and stockings to better their movement. Religious Toleration The Black Fang tolerated the worship of any deity, just so long as the worship of said deity didn't bring harm upon the Black Fang itself. Most Black Fang apparently were Daedra worshippers of some sort. The Syndicate The Syndicate started out shortly after the Black Fang conquered the Rift. The Syndicate started out with nothing but the Thieves Guild under their control, but the Syndicate played their cards right, and managed to control a decent amount of organized crime in Skyrim and the surrounding areas. Nobody knows who the Syndicate truly was, as the Syndicate never contacted anyone directly, and always obscured itself. With the instantaneous lowering of crime all around Tamriel and the disappearance of the Syndicate immediately after the destruction of the Black Fang, it became obvious that the Black Fang was responsible for the Syndicate. The Syndicate were notably unable to control organized crime where none existed, such as Winterhold, where organized crime was swiftly rooted out and destroyed by Daedra under the command of the Archmage. Headquarters Though the Black Fang operated Riften often, Nightshade Mansion was the official headquarters of the Black Fang. Most Black Fang had the ability to instantly teleport between these two locations. Riften was covered by a massive all-round ward that protects it from many forms of attack. This ward was added after the Black Fang found themselves under attack by massive legions of Falmer, who almost conquered the city. The ward around Riften was destroyed when Setsuna lost her powers, as Siris used her as a conduit to shatter the ward. Code Before their destruction, the Black Fang followed a code, which dictates how they act in certain situations. * A sword is not strength. A sword is not skill. A sword is not fellowship. * Death before dishonour. * Constant vigilance. * Innocence is nothing but an illusion, but unnecessary death is to be avoided, if possible. * Black Fang soldiers are not ashamed of the blood on their hands. The blood represents their dedication towards their leaders, as well as their usefulness. * Even in the rare occasion of death, the deceased Black Fang continues being useful, by being used as a human shield, a necromantic soldier, or a test subject. Rules and Regulations Most of the rules of the Black Fang were very simple, and were not too difficult to follow. They were all unwritten, and unspoken. * Never compromise the Black Fang, it's secrets, or it's plans. (This rule is not much of a problem, as even most Black Fang don't know the secrets or plans of the organisation.) * Show respect to one another. Racial or religious persecution, like most broken rules, are punishable by expulsion, and death. * No unauthorised killing of other Black Fang. Killing another Black Fang is only permitted if ordered, or via a duel. * You may not challenge anyone with a lower rank than yourself to a duel. You may however challenge higher ranks to a duel, and they may accept if they so chose. This rule counts for all. * Duels end when one of the participants either surrenders, or dies. If the participant is unable to fight, they may choose whether to surrender or not. If they are unable to speak, they will die the warrior's death. * All duels must be overseen by an official officer of the Black Fang. * Nothing is overlooked, nothing is rushed through. Everything must be done perfectly, efficiently, and with discipline. * No disobeying orders given by higher ranks. * No using/testing magic on other Black Fang unless they have agreed to it. * Theft within Black Fang territory, or on other Black Fang, is unacceptable. Trivia * The Black Fang led the entire Rift. They also ruled a decent amount of organized crime in Skyrim in the form of the Syndicate before their destruction. * The Black Fang were extremely disciplined, and rarely broke discipline, making them extremely efficient, as the troops never did anything they have not been ordered to. * The Black Fang were renowned for their great archers, by far their most used unit, as they could take down large groups before they could get anywhere near the front lines. * Part of the Black Fang code was 'A sword is not strength. A sword is not skill. A sword is not fellowship'. A phrase originating from the Summon Night franchise, specifically Swordcraft Story and Swordcraft Story 2. Category:Factions